CAE Speaking Test Example Questions and Tips (PART 1)

CAE Speaking Tips Part 1 (The Interview)

Many of you will be preparing for the CAE exam this year and will be nervous about the speaking part of the exam. This is an essential overview of the exam and will help you understand what will be expected of you. Don’t be nervous, just read ALL of this and study hard.

CAE Speaking Test

Duration: 15 minutes (23 minutes for groups of three at centres where there’s an odd number of candidates).Participants: Candidates interviewed in pairs or threes. There will be two examiners: one examiner asks the questions, the other acts as an assessor and doesn’t speak during the interview.Format: The test consists of four parts.

CAE Speaking Exam Part 1 (The Interview)

Purpose: To show that you can use language for social purposes – making introductions, answering questions, stating an opinion. It’s also a chance to get you warmed up and to ease into the exam. REMEMBER – The examiner is probably nervous too.

This “warm up” section of the CAE speaking exam will only last about 5 minutes, and you should use it to make yourself feel more confident with your examiner. The questions you will be asked will be designed to “get to know you” and will include questions about your family, studies and personal hobbies and interests.

Example CAE Introduction Questions

The “interview” section of the exam will begin with the examiner asking some of the following questions:

Q: Hello. My name is …….. and this is ……..Q: What are your names?Q: First of all we’d like to know something about you.

Q: Tell me about where you live.
Q: Do you enjoy studying English?
Q: Why are you preparing for the CAE exam?

CAE Interview AnswerTips!

You will get extra marks if you provide full answers. Don’t be afraid to talk to much, the examiner will stop you if he/she thinks you are talking too much.

1) Say as much as you can!
Q: Tell me about where you live.
A: I come from Barcelona.It’s in Catalonia and it’s my favourite part of Spain because….. It’s a lovely place with lots of energy and great beaches…..

2) Don’t give, ‘yes’, ‘no’ answers.
Q: Do you enjoy studying English at Wellington House Idiomas?
A: Yes I do! I quite like studying languages and English in particular. I have a lot of English speaking friends all over the world and having the freedom to communicate with them.Q: What do you like to do in your free time?
A: I used to like running as a child but now I have bad knees. Now I love listening to music and playing the guitar, it gives me a chance to sing in English too!

3) Give examples.
Q: Why are you preparing for the CAE exam?
A: Because it’s important for my future and my future family. I’m lucky because my employer pays for me to attend English classes. I passed FCE last year and if I’m successful at CAE I will be extremely proud.